An Oscar for essential oils: farfalla Grand Cru

November 17, 2025

From sowing and harvesting to distillation, pressing, or maceration of the freshly harvested plants: Our long-standing cultivation partners worldwide bear the responsible task of upholding our values ​​and ensuring our high quality standards. Ecology, humanity, and trust are always at the heart of this process.

Our "Grand Cru" label distinguishes raw materials whose producers, in addition to their passion for organic farming or wild harvesting, create special social or ecological added value . Around forty essential oils currently bear the "Grand Cru" label – a clear farfalla statement for "more than organic".

Examples include the organic fair trade project in Madagascar, which benefits the entire village community, the wild harvesters in southern France who preserve an old tradition in a structurally weak region, or the sandalwood producers connected with the Australian Aboriginal communities.

More than organic: the Grand Cru quality criteria

• The cultivation method corresponds to controlled organic farming (or organic wild harvesting )
• The distillation is carried out according to the guidelines of controlled organic quality, and the quality of the distilled oil is unparalleled.
• The cultivation project serves as a model for the implementation of sustainable topics in the ecological and social spheres.

Grand Cru Regions & Projects

Grand Cru Madagascar

Since 2012, we have been a partner of the organic fair trade project with the beautiful name "Les Aromatiques bio du Sambirano" in Madagascar. The cultivation areas, which strictly adhere to the ESR/Ecocert guidelines of fair trade and organic farming, are located in the hot, humid climate of the Sambirano River.

What we like: What makes this 20-30 hectare organic project, which also includes around 2,000 small farmers, so special is the attached medical center with a doctor and dentist, which provides care for the employees and their families. We also appreciate the organic fair trade project's strong commitment to infrastructure, education, and medical care. As a shareholder in the organic plantation, farfalla has made several investments in the infrastructure surrounding the plantation. Medical Center and village school.
Pink peppercorn, ravintsara, ginger, ylang ylang, cinnamon, clove bud

Grand Cru Southern France

In the Cevennes National Park, a group of women harvests wild mountain lavender according to organic guidelines.

We love that it was Claire, the plant whisperer, who first sparked our enthusiasm for wild plants over forty years ago and taught us so much about their nature. With her infectious energy, she inspired many young women in her native southern France to take up wild plants and founded the foragers' group. Her essential oils are of exceptional quality.
Wild mountain lavender

Grand Cru Australia / Sandalwood

"Dutjahn" is the Aboriginal word for "sandalwood" in the Martu and Wongi languages. For the Indigenous peoples of Australia, it is a sacred tree that has been revered for thousands of years.

We love this: Sustainable wild harvesting and organic plantation timber from a project that originated with the Indigenous communities of the Australian Central Desert. It highlights their recognition as the true stewards of the land and its resources. The Dutjahn Project, winner of the United Nations Development Programme's 2019 Equator Prize, is based on access to the world's largest sustainable sandalwood plantation and delivers direct benefits to Australian Aboriginal communities. Beyond protecting the Central Desert's biodiversity, it also safeguards their threatened cultural practices.

Grand Cru South Africa

The Grand Cru project in South Africa aims to break down existing barriers between ethnic groups decades after the end of apartheid, reduce wealth and gender inequality, and promote responsible agricultural practices.
Tea tree, Eucalyptus radiata, Rosemary verbenone

Grand Cru Sri Lanka

Various sustainable and social projects empower the people in the region – from scholarship programs and medical care to reforestation initiatives. At the same time, traditional methods for harvesting cinnamon, pepper, and other spices are preserved and integrated into a sustainable, socially responsible business model.

We like: the passion with which cultural identity is preserved here while at the same time state-of-the-art production methods are implemented.
Lemongrass, cinnamon bark, cinnamon leaf, patchouli, vetiver

Grand Cru Congo and Uganda

2008: The war in eastern Congo has ended, leaving the country devastated. Charles Schafrad returns, takes over his ancestral lands, and begins cultivating geraniums from Réunion Island. The distilled oil impresses with its wonderful floral notes and high quality. A valuable oil is also extracted from Eucalyptus citriodora.

We like: A hopeful and ambitious project that opens up new perspectives for an entire region.
Rose geranium, lemon eucalyptus, citronella, palmarosa

Grand Cru from biodynamic cultivation

Since the biodynamic cultivation method surpasses mere organic quality, we also label the essential oils from the biodynamic cultivation projects in Egypt and Italy as Grand Cru.

Egypt: Neroli, basil, coriander, marjoram
Italy: Lavender (fine), Peppermint, Thyme (thymol), Fennel (sweet), Roman Chamomile, Lemon Balm, Clary Sage, Sage, Orange (bitter)